Two members of the SkillsUSA chapter at Manhattan High School attended the Mid-America Leadership Conference where they were given the opportunity to compete in different areas, learn different organization procedures and attend opening and closing ceremonies.

From MHS, both Zach Payne, junior, and Kylie Voelker, sophomore, experienced this conference firsthand.

“We spent a lot of time learning proper parliamentary procedure and in conferences, but we also did some community service and competing,” Voelker said.

One of the main procedures they experienced and learned how to function in is known as parli pro. This is shortened from the term parliamentary procedure and affects the ways meetings are run and how people are recognized when they speak.

“Parli Pro is basically what Congress does to pass laws and how it’s very official in how they talk,” Payne said. “They have to stand up and be recognized by the president if you want to say something, there are a lot of intricate inner workings with that.”

Parliamentary procedure is also widely utilized by Future Farmers of America  and 4-H clubs. Specifically in SkillsUSA, competitors at regional and state levels will be required to demonstrate their knowledge in six different parliamentary procedures including main, privileged, subsidiary and incidental motions.

As district officers, these SkillsUSA members were required to attend this conference and other conferences, where they will learn how to be successful later on in the workforce and also learn leadership skills.

“I just went because I thought I would gain something,” Voelker said.

The conference, which took place from Oct.19 to Oct. 22, was located in Columbus, Nebraska. As a result of this, many students from different states attended. The various states represented there, in addition to Kansas, include Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota. This led to the creation of many new friendships between the conference members.

“There’s a lot of people that you don’t know from different areas,” Payne said. “Now, I have friends in Nebraska and in Wyoming, Minnesota, so that was the best part about it.”